ACARs at ASA?

[zawillif]

I may have just been sleeping awhile, but on today's circuit breaker check in a 200 I saw a pulled and collered CB labeled: ACARS Printer. Just wondering if this is new to anyone. I'll be looking for it specifically from now on.

 

[masedogg19]

Disclaimer: I might be way off with this....

But, I think that might be standard....seems like I always see them on our planes....we have ACARS but no printers and no intentions of having them as far as I know

 

[zawillif]

Ha alright, guess I was sleeping then. My captain said he had never seen it either. But then our egg timer woke us up before landing.

 

[regionalcap]

These are the airplanes that have gone through the ACARS installation process. I think they have finished all the 70's and are working on the 50's.

 

[sweptback]

Maybe I'm not the smartest tool in the shed, but if there's a CB, shouldn't there be an actual printer somewhere? Or is step 1 in the installation process to install the CBs that go to nowhere.

 

[masedogg19]

Maybe I'm not the smartest tool in the shed, but if there's a CB, shouldn't there be an actual printer somewhere? Or is step 1 in the installation process to install the CBs that go to nowhere.

Isn't it obvious that that would make way too much sense? All I know is that we have the breaker in our planes, but we gots no printers

 

[ASABound]

The 200's that already have the cb installed are aircraft that came from ACA/Independence. The UAL codeshare required them to have them. But it is true that we are getting it at some point. I do believe that the 700 has started to get the installation.

 

[regionalcap]

I head the VP of MTC on my jumpseat and he said they were working on the 200's. They put all the wiring in during the C check. They simply just connect the box and printer when the ACARS are activated. I am only going by what he told me so who knows.

 

[flylowman]

Ha, Ha its going to be hard for us to get any ontime departures when they can't lie about it. It will be real good for overblock.

 

[Blucher]

Ha, Ha its going to be hard for us to get any ontime departures when they can't lie about it. It will be real good for overblock.

1) What makes you think they won't be able to lie about it?
2) How would putting in "real" times give us any more overblock?

-Blucher

 

["GO AROUND"]

Maybe I'm not the smartest tool in the shed, but if there's a CB, shouldn't there be an actual printer somewhere? Or is step 1 in the installation process to install the CBs that go to nowhere.

There are also CB's for Comm 3 and GPS 2 but we don't have either of those either.

Can't remember, the acars will use a comm 3, but does it require a second FMSCDU? Or does it have its own box?

 

[ReportCanoa]

Legacy ACARS is on the way out. Unless this system is the new VDLM2, it is likely that ASA is throwing away money on outdated equipment. This is about par for the course, and you can expect after fleetwide installation to receive a tearful letter from the GO about employee givebacks to facilitate upgrade to the new standard.

The ACARS interface will probably be thru the existing CDU. So, if you're in the middle of an ACARS communication, and ATC gives you something, I guess you'll have to back out, reprogramme, and then continue. And they don't want anyone heads-down for too long, right?

 

[PCL_128]

Can't remember, the acars will use a comm 3, but does it require a second FMSCDU? Or does it have its own box?

No, the single MCDU can do both. You just hit the MCDU button and it will bring up a menu that lets you toggle between FMS and ACARS.

You sure you guys are getting printers with the ACARS? We've always had ACARS on the RJs at Pinnacle, but no printers. I didn't even realize it was an option on the CRJ.

 

[Smacktard]

No, the single MCDU can do both. You just hit the MCDU button and it will bring up a menu that lets you toggle between FMS and ACARS.

You sure you guys are getting printers with the ACARS? We've always had ACARS on the RJs at Pinnacle, but no printers. I didn't even realize it was an option on the CRJ.

If we get the printers then you can mess with the flight att by threading a $20 in there and then when they come up, you fake like you just swiped your atm card and use the print feed to have the $20 pop out...

 

[SpoilerFault]

I head the VP of MTC on my jumpseat and he said they were working on the 200's. They put all the wiring in during the C check. They simply just connect the box and printer when the ACARS are activated. I am only going by what he told me so who knows.

This is correct, the mod is being done during heavy maint. visits in MCN.

 

[Skyjet]

If ASA gets the same program as skyw, then yes they will have printers. The printers will be needed because all releases and clearance's come off acars. The acars are no longer only for out and on times. Even the performance numbers come off the acars. The last memo from SGU said the full program start's end of summer, with the approach chart screen's by the fall.

 

[Headfake14]

I was in that PICT thingy the other day...BL spoke to us for about 2hrs. Yes, we will have printers. Interface will be thru the existing FMS.

 

[AdamKooper]

Asa is such a cheap airline. How much longer till waters become 1$?

 

[j41driver]

The 200's that already have the cb installed are aircraft that came from ACA/Independence.

While it is true that all of the ACA/IDE CRJ's had ACARs, none of them had the printers installed.

 

[Tomct]

Yeah...Once ACARS comes online, the ontime performance is going to TANK!! They won't be able to LIE about our times any more, due to the fact that most acars are hooked up to the aircraft movement....NOT the BEACON! However, knowing ASA they will hook it up to the beacon just to save their ARSESS!

 

[bacardi]

they better hook it up to the beacon, if they dont nobody will buy into this performance rewards b.s.

 

[John Pennekamp]

Yeah...Once ACARS comes online, the ontime performance is going to TANK!! They won't be able to LIE about our times any more, due to the fact that most acars are hooked up to the aircraft movement....NOT the BEACON! However, knowing ASA they will hook it up to the beacon just to save their ARSESS!

The General may correct me, but my understanding is that Delta has the ACARS hooked up to the beacon and the main cabin door.

 

[Sinca3]

6 yrs and counting.................

 

[blueridge71]

The ACARS interface will probably be thru the existing CDU. So, if you're in the middle of an ACARS communication, and ATC gives you something, I guess you'll have to back out, reprogramme, and then continue. And they don't want anyone heads-down for too long, right?

That's the way it worked at ACA with one FMS. We did get PDC clearances at hubs, but with no printer we still had to copy them down. It was still nice because it really cut down on frequency congestion.

We were told in recurrent ground last month that ACARS should be turned on by the end of the summer. They didn't say which year.

 

[Tomct]

Don't hold your breathe BLUE! I will believe it when I see them turned on and I actually get ATIS from them!!

 

["GO AROUND"]

Great! Now we are gonna have to fight for printer paper too!!! One more thing to run out of. Whose gonna stock it? FO? Cabin service? Srtike that last one, what was I thinking.

I heard the 70's are done and will be on this summer but they are waiting on the 50's cause SKW is supposedly getting a EFB program soon that would do it all. Just what I heard from an IP friend.